DSU valedictorian: Balancing school, work, family was tough

Dixie State University graduates participate in the institution’s 106th Commencement Ceremony in 2017. This year’s ceremony is set to take place at 8 a.m. on May 4 in Trailblazer Stadium.(Photo: Dixie State University)

"I'm a returning student," Colf said. "I took a semester of classes in 2013, then took a couple of years off because I didn't think I even wanted to go to school. I thought I wanted to work in the family business."

Balancing work, school, family

His family owns a heating and air-conditioning company in St. George, and it wasn't until his wife obtained her degree that Colf felt inspired to return to school in spring 2016.

"From then on, it was kind of a tough thing to pay; I obviously have more bills and responsibilities and a family to support while trying to hold down a decent-paying job and get my degree," Colf said.

Applying to be valedictorian

"I'm quite surprised I was able to maintain an appropriate GPA to even have the opportunity to apply for it," he said of being valedictorian. "I guess in the back of my mind, like anyone else, we all want to get good grades. I was just striving toward that, and it might have been a subconscious goal to get a 4.0 GPA or as close to one that I could."

Colf will be graduating with a 3.985 GPA, and the requirement to apply for valedictorian speaker at graduation is at least 3.95, said Michael Lacourse, DSU provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Twenty to 25 people were chosen from the pool of graduates to apply to be the valedictorian speaker, Lacourse said, and 11 completed applications were submitted. Colf said he had to write his speech ahead of time as part of the application in order to be considered.

Lacourse said: "We receive samples of valedictorian speeches, and then we have a committee of faculty members read through them and make the decision each year."

The valedictorian speaker is also offered two faculty resources to prepare: A speaking coach and an English Department faculty member who helps them polish their speech.

Colf said he's most nervous about the sheer volume of people he'll be speaking to at commencement.

"There's going to be a lot more people there than I've ever spoken to before," Colf said. "There's a lot more weighing on it. A lot of people remember who their valedictorian speakers were."

Choosing what to study

After learning the ins and outs of business after working with his dad and brother, Colf realized he was particularly interested in the financial side of it.

Colf originally enrolled at DSU thinking he would study psychology, but he learned quickly he'd rather study numbers and facts rather than theory.

"I tried out finance and really enjoyed it," he said. "It's kind of long-term what I would have wanted with any kind of degree anyway."

The processional for DSU's commencement ceremony will begin at 8 a.m. Friday. Guests are asked to be seated in Trailblazer Stadium by 8:30 a.m.